3.
Vol. XVII.
Winston-Salem, N. C., Monday, Jamiary 11, 1937.
Number 13.
WELCOME MR. UNTERMEYER
UAL nsroiiy
Salem College extends its sincerest
'Welcome to Louis Uutermeyer, fam-
''"s author and lecturer who is
"Peaking here tonight.
Mr. Untermeyor was born in New
^urk City, October ], 1885. He at-
*®nded high school there. At the age
''f sixteen he appeared as a semi-pro
fessional pianist. An early ambition
"'■'s to bccome a composer.
He is one of the few literary fig-
'‘I'os who have made a success in
^oth the business and artistic worlds,
(entering a large manufacturing
Jewelry business at the age of 17, he
''^signed in 1923 to devote his entire
**'ne to study and w^riting. His many
Collections and original volumes are
every public library; his antholo
gies have been adopted as textbooks
high schools and universities
'hroughout the country; his famous
^'■anslations of Heine have become
ftandard; and his reputation abroad
aa great as it is at home. James
^fanch Cabell acclaimed his "Heav-
as one of the most brilliant
''■'tieal works in recent American
“terature; William Rose Benet wrote
*l>at “he was entitled to be called
American Heine;” and Amy
owell said he was “the most ver-
*®tile genius of the period.”
Before his fiftieth year he had
Mtten more than thirty volumes of
Ptose and verse, one of which “The
^onkey of God,” won the Enit Prize
’’r the best book on Italy written
a non-Italian. Another “The
®ook of Singing Verse,” printed sim-
J'taneously in London, Paris, Ham-
Wg and Milan, was hailed as the
^gical successor to the “Oxford
^ook of English Verse.” When the
Encyclopedia Britanniea” was re
vised, he was selected to contribute
’''e articles on modern American
foetry.
In 1928 he moved from his native
^'ew York City to a trout-stream, a
’’'ountain of sugar-maples, and a
^5rm of one hundred and sixty acres
'>1 the upper Adirondack Mountains,
^hcre, when he is not lecturing or
^''avelling, he lives with his wife (ex-
Jldge Esther Antin who practices
w in Ohio and Now York) and his
'"'0 sons. “There,” in his own
'''ords, “be continually thinks up
LOUIS UNTERMEYER
Mr. Untermeyer arrived in the city
this morning. He spoke informally
to the Modern Poetry Class and the
Sophomore English Class.
After lunch with Dr. and Mrs.
Eondthaler, Mr. Untermeyer was
taken for a drive around Winston-
Salem.
This afternoon at four-thirty he
was honor guest at a tea in the col
lege library to which the faculty .md
Senior Class were invited.
schemes to keep the printers at work
and, in the meanwhile, devotes him
self to raising peas, petunias pota
toes, parsnips, pansies, plotyeodons,
and poetry. He hopes to keep on do
ing this until he is ninety, when ho
plans to settle down to really serious
work.
Others of his books besides his an
thologies include:
“The Younger Quire,” First
Love,” “Challenge,” “The New
Adam,” “These Times,” “Heav
ens, ” “A Book of Burlesque, ’ ’
“Boast Leviathan,” “Moses,”
“Burning Bush,” “Blue Bhine-
Black Forest,” “Food and Drink,”
“Chip, My Life and Times” (the
autobiography of a chipmunk), “The
Fat of the Cat” (short stories adapt
ed from the Swiss), “Yesterday and
Today,” “— and Other Poets”
(Parodies), “Collected Parodies,”
‘ ‘ Forms of Poetry. ’ ’
QUOTATIONS
Poetry plus people equals educa
tion plus enjoyment.
Poetry is many things. It is
sometimes a jingle, or a dancing
tune, sometimes it is a heroic tale,
and sometimes nothing more than a
merry measure, shaking its bells of
rhyme. And it is sometimes an ar
row in the air — a true arrow w’hich,
according to one poet, falls to earth
in the most unexpected places. And
it is often something that may resi’ue
people from all sorts of carcs and
prisons.
But poetry is, first of all, a
rainbow in the sky — a rainbow
glowing with promise for everyone
who will look, delighting the eye and
uplifting the heart. It was on a
rainbow that the gods of the North
entered their heaven; and it is at
the end of the rainbow that there
may be found the fabled pot of gold.
And the arrow that points towards
it, and the colored are, and the bright
path across the heaven, and the pot
of gold itself are all one.
A poem is the shortest emotional
distance between two points.
The purpose of an anthology is to
stimulate interest, rather than to sat
isfy curiosity. It is the provoking
as well as the sharing of enjoyment,
which, at the heart of the poet is the
very purpose of poetry.
They (poets), are in love with
their world, passionately, oven pain
fully.
—Louis Untermeyer.
LIBRARY DISPLAY
See the interesting display of
Louis Untermeyer books in the li
brary. They include:
“Rainbow in the Sky,” a book of
verse for children.
“Modern British Poetry,” a crit
ical anthology from 1830 to the pres-
end.
“The New Era in American Poet
ry.”
“American Poetry Since 1900,”
“Modern American Poetry.”
“This Singing World,” an an
thology of modern poetry for young
people.
“Poetry, Its Appreciation and En
joyment. ’ ’
“Modern American Poetry,” a
critical anthology.
‘ ‘ The Donk6y of God. ’ ’
MR. UNTERMEYER
SPEAKS TO MODERN
POETRY CLASS
Mr. Untermeyer spoke informally
this morning to the Modern Poetry
Class. He also answered question*
concerning modern authors included
in “Modern American Poetry,” a
text book edited by Mr. Untermeyer
which is to be used by the class next
semester.
Mr. Untermeyer knows per»onally
nearly every poet, over twenty-two,
writing in America. Until a half
century ago it was difficult to tell
the difference in English and Amer
ican writers. Then a group of Amer
ican poets began to write in the
American idiom. They discovered
the American theme, language, sub
ject matter and background.
The poems of our day are not tied
to foreign backgrounds. They are
“rich in differences,” and have a
“national sweep.”
Mr. Untermeyer said tliat the
South has had its cultural Renaiss
ance.
He said that, “Poets of today have
become strongly individualized and
at the same time strongly Ameri
can.” This is true of other forms of
art.
He believes that we are at the be
ginning of a golden age of American
culture.
MRS. SWEDENBERG
TALKS IN CHAPEL
Mrs. Tom Swedenberg spoke in
chapel on Tuesday morning. She dis
cussed unfamiliar aspects of Louis
Untermeyer’s personality.
She said that Mr. Untermeyer was
a writer, musician, and a business
man.
He is interested in industry and
economics. His poetry shows his
love and sympathy for his fellow-
man.
Mrs. Swedenberg quoted parts of
an interview between Mr. Unter
meyer and Miss Babette Deutsch.
“His favorite poet among the
ancients is the man who wrote ‘The
Song of Songs,’ his favorite art is
music; favorite outdoor sport, ten
nis; favorite indoor sport, consum
ing French pastry; favorite amuse
ment, voting the Socialist ticket;
favorite modern poet, Robert Frost ;
favorite delusion, the brotherhood
of man.”